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Neural Therapy and Its Role in the Effective Treatment of Chronic PainPublished on Practical Pain Management (http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com)

Neural Therapy and Its Role in the Effective Treatment ofChronic Pain Neural therapy is a powerful treatment that can be quite effective in resolving autonomic nervoussystem dysfunction and pain, especially in the complex pain patient.By Gerald R. Harris, DO

Neural therapy is an injection treatment that stimulates healing. Developed in Europe in the early1900s, neural therapy has continued to grow in use. It is an effective treatment for chronic pain,especially when practiced by a well-trained physician. Neural therapy is also a wonderfulcomplementary procedure for use with prolotherapy, a treatment that stimulates healing of ligaments,tendons and joints. Gerald Harris, DO, has been practicing prolotherapy and neural therapy for almost20 years. He is a leader in the field of neural therapy, having trained with world renowned DietrichKlinghardt, MD, in the early 1990s. Dr. Harris’ quest to help his chronic pain patients led him to developthe Harris Method of Pain Treatment that integrates both neural therapy and prolotherapy to maximizepatient results. In this article, Dr. Harris presents a thorough, organized and stimulating review of neuraltherapy history, concepts and practice. Donna Alderman, DO [1]Volume 9, Issue #6

Chronic pain is a major problem in our society not just because of its prevalence, but also because ofthe general lack of effective treatment for patients afflicted with chronic pain. When I was in medicalschool learning how to treat these pain problems, diagnosis and treatment was reduced to an algorithmor “recipe.” I dutifully memorized these algorithms and when I began practice, applied them as I wastaught. While I would go through the algorithm, unfortunately most of the time the patient would beonly slightly improved, and sometimes they would even get worse! I began a long quest for moreknowledge by attending numerous conferences, seminars and workshops that had to do with paintreatment. One of the most effective treatments I encountered was a technique developed in Europecalled “neural therapy.” This treatment is designed to repair dysfunction of the autonomic nervoussystem—that part of the nervous system responsible for the “automatic” functions of the body. Whenused in conjunction with other techniques, such as prolotherapy, I have found neural therapy to be veryeffective in resolving even the worst cases of chronic, seemingly intractable, pain. This article willdiscuss neural therapy, its history, background, technique and application. I will also discuss myprotocol, the Harris Method of Pain Treatment, which provides a sequence for treatment of the chronicpain patient, along with case reports of typical patients treated.

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)To understand neural therapy, it is important to understand what the autonomic nervous system (ANS)is. Once outside the brain, the nervous system has two basic divisions: the somatic (voluntary) nervoussystem and the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. The somatic or voluntary nervous system isthe part most people are familiar with because it controls voluntary movements such as walking, talkingand movement of limbs. The autonomic (involuntary) nervous system, on the other hand, regulatesinternal body functions such as immune function, blood pressure and circulation, hormones, digestion,body temperature, heart rate, breathing, urination, sexual function, menstruation, and other automaticbody functions. If the ANS is injured, these internal functions will not perform at optimum levels andultimately lead to disease and chronic pain.

History and Theory of Neural Therapy

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Neural therapy is a gentle, healing technique developed in Germany that involves the injection of localanesthetics into autonomic nerve ganglia (grouping of nerves), peripheral nerves, scars, glands,acupuncture points, trigger points, and other tissues.1 Two German physicians practicing in the early1900s, Ferdinand and Walter Huneke, are considered the founders of neural therapy.2 Neural therapy isone of the best-known natural healing methods in Germany where there are more than 5,000practitioners. It is now also practiced in other countries in Europe and the United States. Neural therapyis based on the theory that any trauma, infection, or surgery can damage the autonomic nervoussystem and produce long-standing disturbances in the electrochemical or electromagnetic functions oftissues.3 If there is a disturbance of the autonomic nervous system, the resulting dysfunction can lastindefinitely unless repaired. When the autonomic nervous system is injured or not functioning correctly,various consequences result. An example is blood flow going out of synch with demand in an area thatneeds it, such as a soft tissue injury, thus resulting in incomplete healing. It has been reported that “acorrectly applied neural therapy injection can often instantly and permanently resolve chronic long-standing illness and chronic pain.”4 In my experience, it usually requires more than one treatment toreach this end. However, the phenomena of a “lightning reaction” (instant reaction) has been noted byresearchers and physicians over the years.5

Development of Neural TherapyNeural therapy evolved and developed along with the discovery of local anesthetics. The first localanesthetic, cocaine, was discovered to have anesthetic effects by the famous Sigmund Freud. Dr. Freudshared his knowledge with his friend, ophthalmologist Koller, who was the first physician to perform eyesurgery using a cocaine solution in 1884.6 Because of the addictive and toxic qualities of cocaine, asearch for a safer local anesthetic ensued and resulted in the discovery of procaine (introduced underthe trade name “Novocain”) in 1905 by Einhorn.7 In 1906, Spiess and Schleich discovered thatinfiltration of procaine into a wound greatly enhanced healing. This extreme healing lasted much longerthan the duration of action of the actual anesthesia. The famous French surgeon, Leriche, was the firstto successfully treat a migraine headache with a local anesthetic nerve block injection and who calledNovocain (procaine) “the surgeon’s bloodless knife.”8 In 1925, the brothers Dr. Ferdinand and WalterHuneke—both sons and grandsons of physicians—discovered the healing aspects of procaine withoutany prior knowledge of the work of Spiess, Schleich or Leriche. This occurred by accident when, in 1925,Ferdinand Huneke gave his nurse, whom he had been treating for rheumatism, an I.V. infusion ofprocaine and her previously therapy-resistant migraine disappeared. This “lightning reaction” impressedDr. Huneke who realized he may have found a new therapy for pain. He named this new therapy“Healing Anesthetics.” Ferdinand Huneke, along with his brother, Walter, first reported the results oftheir research into the healing properties of local anesthetics with the publication in 1928 of “UnknownDistant Effects of the Local Anesthesia.”9 The Hunekes reported that reaction to the injections couldhelp organs at a distant site and described this phenomenon as a reflex. The publication of the book“Cybernetics” by Weiner in 1948 led to more clarification about neural therapy in that the main conceptof that book is that the body functions as a whole and that every disease, every scar, and everytreatment affects the whole body system.10

“It has been reported that ‘a correctly applied neural therapy injection can often instantly andpermanently resolve chronic long-standing illness and chronic pain.’4 In my experience, it usuallyrequires more than one treatment to reach this end.”

How Neural Therapy WorksThere are several theories on how and why neural therapy works. It can be understood better by a shortreview of nerve cell physiology. Normal resting nerve cells have a “resting membrane potential” whichis the difference between the electrical charges inside the cell and outside the cell. While at rest, ahealthy nerve cell does not generate nerve impulses. In most neurons, this resting membrane potentialhas a value of approximately 70 mV.11 If there is a stimulus to the cell, the membrane resting potential

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drops. When it drops to approximately 45 mV there is an “action potential” generated12 and the nervefires an impulse. In a nerve cell damaged by surgery or trauma, the resting membrane potential ischronically low—for example, it may be at 47 or 50mV.13 This means the nerve will fire off a nerveimpulse with much less of a stimulus.

While different theories exist as to the mechanism of action for local anesthetics, it is well known thatthese substances raise the resting membrane potential, making the nerve less likely to fire a nerveimpulse even with more stimuli.14 In addition, studies with procaine have shown its ability to increasethe refractory period (time interval between nerve firing).15 Kidd sums this up: “A pathological reduction(usually) or increase (less often) in membrane resting potential leads to a reduced threshold ofexcitation within the affected tissue. The lower threshold creates chronic low-grade excitation, impairedintracellular metabolism and ion exchange, and persistent inability to maintain a normal restingpotential, resulting in chronic neurophysiologic instability.”16 Since the half-life of local anesthetics isshort, how does treatment with a local anesthetic affect long-term change? It is believed that byrepeatedly infiltrating the local anesthetic around the cell wall, the ion pumps progressively resumenormal activity and eventually the autonomic nervous system starts functioning properly again.

Treatment AgentsNeural therapy is performed with local anesthetics, usually procaine or lidocaine, and occasionallycarbocaine if allergy problems are encountered. These anesthetics should never contain epinephrine.The standard solution I use for superficial infiltration (scars) is 1% procaine or 1% lidocaine with a smallamount of sodium bicarbonate to buffer the PH and decrease the pain of the injection, although thesodium bicarbonate is optional.

Conditions Appropriate for Treatment With Neural TherapyNeural therapy is potentially useful for any type of musculoskeletal pain complaint, including low backpain or other chronic joint pain not responsive to other treatments. Painful, sensitive or keloided scarsare particularly responsive. Chronic pelvic pain is frequently responsive to neural therapy, as aredysmenorrhea and menstrual irregularities. What are deemed “regional pain syndromes” are frequentlysecondary to autonomic dysfunction and amenable to treatment with neural therapy if initiated soonenough. Trigeminal neuralgia can be effectively treated if combined with treatment of dental infections.Raynaud’s also will frequently respond to neural therapy.

Jurgen Huneke, MD, nephew of Ferdinand and Walter Huneke, and president of the InternationalAssociation for Neural Therapy, summarizes a list of conditions for which neural therapy is used:

acute and chronic pain (including headaches of different origins),inflammatory responses,poor circulation,multiple chronic conditions, caused by interrupted interference fields (such as rheumatism),diseases of the motor system (sciatica, arthritic joint conditions, shoulder or arm syndrome),internal diseases such as prostate, female, allergies, kidney; andsports injuries where it assists in healing.17

Types of Neural TherapyThere are three types of neural therapy treatment:

1. Segmental therapy. This involves intracutaneous injections of the cutaneous branches of thedeep autonomic nervous system structures that are malfunctioning. These skin injections work

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by indirectly correcting the function of the deeper nerves. There are charts of the location ofthese cutaneous branches for many body organs so that the practitioner knows where to placethese injections.

2. Injection of scars. Scars are often sites of dysfunctional nerve tissue. Direct injection of scarswith local anesthetic is thought not only to help restore function of damaged nerve cells but hasa secondary benefit of reducing the mechanical “pull” of the scar on other normal tissue. Forexample, a large scar on a patient’s sternum acquired from open-heart surgery may putunnatural tension on the thoracic spine, causing back pain. Injections into the scar soften it andreduce the pull.

3. Locating and treating “interference fields.” (See below.)

Interference FieldsA very important part of neural therapy treatment is the identification and treatment of “interferencefields.” Interference fields are areas of altered nerve cell resting membrane potential (discussed above)where nerve cells are not functioning normally. These areas can found almost anywhere in the body andare often far from the part of the body that is experiencing symptoms. Typical locations include scars ofall types (trauma, surgical), deep autonomic ganglia (grouping of nerves) and internal organs. Aninterference field has also been defined as local tissue irritation with the potential to causedestabilization of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) either locally or systemically.18 Interferencefields usually occur on the same side of the body as the symptoms, however the symptoms or signsmay be bilateral or contra lateral. Interference fields generally arise in locations where there has beenan injury, either from sharp or blunt trauma, local infection or inflammation, mechanical strain injuryand frequently surgical scars.19

The phenomena of interference fields affecting areas at a distance was demonstrated when, in 1940,Ferdinand Huneke injected procaine into the shoulder of a patient with a severe and therapy-resistantfrozen shoulder. No immediate relief was noted by the patient however, several days after the shoulderinjection, the patient developed severe itching in a scar on her leg. That itching scar was injected andwithin seconds the patient obtained full, painless range of motion in the previously frozen shoulder.Review of history revealed the patient had previous surgery on that leg because of osteomyelitis. Thesurgery had been considered successful, but shortly after the surgery the patient had developed thefrozen shoulder. Huneke recognized the therapeutic importance of this “lightning reaction”20,21 with thescar on the leg being the site of the actual interference field.

“It is interesting to note that if pain does not resolve or is aggravated after an injectiontreatment utilizing local anesthetics—such as trigger point injections or prolotherapy—this is astrong indication that an interference field is present and needs treatment.”

Conditions Caused by Interference FieldsChronic pain, especially migraine, has an autonomic component and is often the result of aninterference field. Since the autonomic nervous system regulates the automatic functions of the body,any symptom related to those functions can be caused by an interference field. Chronic musculoskeletalpain is often related to the presence of interference fields because they can affect blood flow to injuredareas. This occurs through regulation of the smooth muscle walls of the blood vessels, which shouldopen to allow more blood to an injured joint or organ but, if disturbed, may not. Decreased blood flow toan organ may eventually result in illness or disease. Examples of disturbed autonomic nervous systemfunction include indigestion, constipation, sluggishness, weight gain, headaches, migraines, dizziness,confusion, optic neuritis, chronic ear infections, tinnitus, vertigo, hay fever, sinusitis, tonsillitis, asthma,liver disease, gallbladder disease, menstrual pain, eczema and a host of others.22 Neural therapy,because it increases blood flow, may have profoundly positive effects on such conditions.23 It isinteresting to note that if pain does not resolve or is aggravated after an injection treatment utilizinglocal anesthetics—such as trigger point injections or prolotherapy—this is a strong indication that an

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interference field is present and needs treatment.

Testing for Interference FieldsLocation and treatment of interference fields is the most precise way to do neural therapy. However thedetermination of these fields was a challenge until the introduction of Autonomic Response Testing(ART), a type of kinesiologic testing developed by Dietrich Klinghardt and Louise Williams in the 1990’s.Development of this technique was a milestone in neural therapy treatment and has since been adoptedby most North American physicians who practice neural therapy. Although interference fields aredetectable by other methods (listed below), these methods can be “hit or miss” with severalunsuccessful trial injections. The development of ART has allowed for much greater accuracy ininjections that patients do receive.24 Prior to ART, the methods listed below were the primary methodsused, and can still be used, but without the increased accuracy of ART.

Temporal Association. The chronology of when symptoms began can be a clue as to thepresence of an interference field. If a chronic pain or condition started within several months ofsurgery, dental work or other procedure without any other inciting event, then interference fieldsas a result of that procedure should be considered.25

Empirical Approach. There are known relationships between certain interference fields andcommonly associated illnesses and areas of pain. This is particularly important with teethbecause each tooth will tend to affect distinct areas of the body when they becomedysfunctional.Systematic Approach. Determine as many past trauma and injury sites as possible during thehistory taking and then systematically treat them all, carefully checking the patient forimprovement after each site is treated. Improvement can be determined subjectively by thepatient or objectively by the practitioner through the use of range of motion before and aftertreatment of each site.Proximity. Scars or trauma sites that are situated in close proximity to the area ofsymptomatology are more likely to be causative of symptoms than those situated further away.(Examples are: earring hole scar and neck and shoulder pain, appendectomy scar and hip pain).It is important to remember, though, that any interference field anywhere in the body can causesymptoms anywhere else.

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[2]Figure 1. Positionto check for autonomic response testing over umbilicus. The midpoint of the palm should be flat overthe umbilicus.

Autonomic Response Testing (ART)ART is based on applied kinesiology and, when properly done, appears to be the most accurate methodto detect interference fields. ART is based on the theory that a muscle will become weak when aninterference field is palpated. While the actual “how” of ART still remains controversial, an individualwho is tested and treated based on the interference fields located by this method often gets well.Several studies have documented the accuracy of this method, without explaining the how.26-28

How To Do Autonomic Response TestingA discussion of how to do autonomic response testing in its entirety is quite lengthy and therefore this isjust a summary and introduction. The first step in ART is to determine if the patient is “open” (able to betested) or “blocked,” a condition where the patient’s autonomic nervous system is so affected by somefactor that it cannot be reliably tested. An “indicator muscle” is chosen. I prefer to choose the bicepsmuscle since it is usually fairly strong in most people. The patient is placed in the supine position andinstructed to put their arm in a 90-degree angle with their elbow on the table at their side and fistloosely clenched. The examiner puts his palm over the patient’s umbilicus—the first “scar” the patientexperienced in his/her life. (See Figure 1.)

The patient is instructed to maintain his/her arm at a 90-degree angle while the physician attempts topush his/her arm down straight on the table. If the patient’s arm goes weak (loses strength) then thatpatient is said to be “open.” If the patient’s muscle stays strong, the patient is said to be “blocked.”Since the umbilicus is the first scar a patient had, the patient’s indicator muscle is expected to go weak.If the patient is “open,” testing then continues in a stepwise and logical progression, the physician

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directly presses on the suspected area (scar, injury site, deep autonomic ganglia, or other painlocations) and then compresses the indicator muscle to determine if it goes weak or stays strong. Afterthese steps are done, a plan is made as to which areas to treat first. There is a detailed protocol forwhich areas are tested and then how to determine which to treat first. However, that is a subject of itsown and for which a future article is planned. In any case, when correctly applied, ART is a useful toolfor the physician and worth the time invested in learning its proper use.

Scar Injection TechniqueProbably the easiest and safest technique the pain practitioner can start with is the injection of scars.Without training in autonomic response testing, it may not be possible to easily identify interferencefields. However many scars are the site of an interference field and by injecting them there is a goodlikelihood of improvement—especially scars associated with previous trauma, surgery or infection.

Technique for scar injection:

1. Identify the scar.2. Prep with alcohol or benzyl chloride.3. Outline the scar with a surgical marker or pen.4. Prep the area with betadine, let dry.5. Select the narrowest gauge needle that will suffice for that particular scar, and bend the needle

to a 45-degree with the bevel pointed up, using the inside of the needle cap (see Figure 2). A 27gauge, 1-1/2 inch needles work well for most average length scars.

6. Insert the needle intracutaneously (not intradermally) in the scar, parallel to the skin. The needleshaft is placed against the betadine-cleansed area of the skin and slowly advanced full lengthinto the scar, taking care to neither go too deep and out of the scar, nor too shallow and pushthrough the surface of the scar (see Figure 3).

7. After the needle has been advanced full-length, the plunger is gently depressed and injectionmade and continued while the needle is slowly withdrawn. The scar should fill up from within(see Figure 4). Note that if scar is lifted but not filled, then the needle was too deep.

8. For long scars, re-insert the needle near the end of where the last injection ended, inserting theneedle through some of the previous anesthetic. Repeat as in numbers 5 to 7 above.

9. Repeat until the scar is completely filled.10. This process is repeated at 1 to 3 week intervals. In most cases, 6 to 16 treatments are usually

needed.

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[3]Figure 2. Bending

the needle to 45 degrees.

[4]Figure 3. Correct placement of needle in scar.

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[5]Figure 4. What thescar should look like after injection.

Emotional ReleaseA phenomenon well recognized by the neural therapy practitioner is emotional release after neuraltherapy injections and is typically described as unpleasant emotions associated with the trauma sitesbeing injected. This release can start during a treatment and last for a few days afterwards, or may notoccur at all. Warning the patient of this occurrence is usually sufficient to prevent misinterpretation ofthis expected phenomena and the patient assigning these unpleasant emotions to something in thepatient’s current environment. Because of this phenomenon, neural therapy is a relativecontraindication for a patient who is severely psychiatrically unstable.

Sequencing of Treatment: The Three Layers of Musculoskeletal Pain and theHarris Method of Pain TreatmentI have concluded over the years that there are three layers of musculoskeletal pain, and so havedeveloped a protocol which successfully guides me through the treatment of even the most difficult painpatients (see Figure 5).

First Layer. The first layer is that of muscle spasms. The important thing to remember about musclespasms is that they are usually only a symptom, not a problem in and of themselves. When the body isinjured or unstable, it will tighten the muscles around the unstable, weak or injured area in an attemptto stabilize it. So, other than the fact that the muscle spasms indicate areas where the body is detectingsomething wrong, we generally don’t waste too much time on them. They will usually resolvespontaneously once the underlying problem is treated.

Second Layer. The next layer below muscle spasms, and the first layer where you have real pathology,is the connective tissue layer. By connective tissue, I am referring to ligaments, tendons andfascia—basically, the “gristle” that holds the body together. The connective tissue is tough and difficultto damage. However, once it is damaged it heals slowly and often does not heal completely.29

Incomplete healing is common in connective tissue and makes the area prone to re-injury. Injuredconnective tissue also frequently refers pain so that often where one feels the pain is not where theproblem originates,30 For example, a problem in the lumbar spine can cause sciatica pain down the leg,

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or a problem in the upper cervical can refer into the head causing headaches. So it is important to do agood musculoskeletal and connective tissue exam and history, as well as have an understanding ofligament and tendon referral patterns which can be found in several books and texts discussing thisissue.31-33

Third Layer. The bottom, or third layer, is that of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Once theANS is disrupted, from whatever cause, there are several effects that result. One is pain. Pain from theANS can go on as long as the dysfunction persists. The longest I’ve recorded is 60 years in one patient.The second effect of ANS dysfunction is that function is altered, usually with respect to decreased bloodflow to the area of the body that is controlled by that part of the ANS. This causes chronic under-nourishment of the affected body tissues and results in progressive weakness—especially in connectivetissue. The third effect of ANS dysfunction is tightening of the connective tissue around the area of ANSdysfunction. This is significant because, although the connective tissue will bend and twist easily, it doesnot stretch much at all. Since the connective tissue cannot stretch and absorb this pull, it will transferthe force down its entire length to whatever bone it connects to. This results in restrictions or tightnessin certain ranges of motion and, if present long enough or if the patient sustains some sort of high-energy trauma, it can cause the connective tissue to begin to tear loose from the bone. This will thenresult in a “second layer” (connective tissue) problem.

In my practice, I start treatment with the “third layer” (ANS) and work up. I first check and repair ANSdysfunction with neural therapy, then treat the “second layer” of connective tissue weakness orinstability with prolotherapy, followed by physical therapy to rehabilitate the muscles. While I personallyfollow this treatment protocol, other treatment protocols exist and can be effective. For instance,prolotherapy can be done first in the case of a straightforward soft tissue injury and may resolve thepain complaint. However, if healing with prolotherapy injections is slow or pain remains, then checkingfor ANS dysfunction and treatment with neural therapy would be appropriate. Either way, once thepatient is pain-free, function usually needs to be restored with physical therapy or exercise sinceoftentimes muscles may have atrophied or weakened from disuse.

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[6]Figure 5. The HarrisMethod of Pain Treatment protocol.

Contraindications to Neural TherapyAbsolute. Do not inject into an area where there is a known active cancer or tuberculosis.

Relative. (1) Disease states resulting from severe nutritional deficiencies or genetic illness (because itwon’t help); (2) unstable diabetes (because it can cause instability in blood sugar); (3) severepsychological disorders are a relative contraindication because the emotional releases that often occurcan destabilize the psychological state; and (4) pregnancy (treatment anywhere near the uterus mightpossibly trigger a miscarriage).

Where to Get Training in Neural TherapyAnnual seminars and workshops (Neural Therapy I and Advanced Neural Therapy II) are given byDietrich Klinghardt, MD of the American Academy of Neural Therapy (information is available atwww.neuraltherapy.com). Training in neural therapy, along with prolotherapy, is also given at the

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American College of Osteopathic Sclerotherapeutic Pain Management conference in March each year(information is available at www.acospm.com).

Conclusions and Case ReportsAutonomic nervous system dysfunction is common and can lead to chronic pain. Neural therapy is apowerful treatment that can be quite effective in resolving autonomic nervous system dysfunction andpain, especially in the complex pain patient. Neural therapy requires training and practice by the painpractitioner to be most effective. However, even with application of only basic principles such asinjection of scars, the patient may greatly benefit. Neural therapy is especially effective for joint painwhen used in conjunction with prolotherapy and/or platelet rich plasma (PRP) prolotherapy injections.

Case ReportsCase 1. A 52-year-old white female who presented with chief complaints of pain and numbness in herleft upper extremity, and secondary complaints of pain in her left jaw, and left lower back. She hadsignificant history of wisdom tooth extractions approximately 4 or 5 years previous, as well as multipleroot canals. One of the latter, in the lower left jaw, was still sensitive with chewing. Physical exam andautonomic response testing found the patient to have an autonomic interference field in the left lower1st molar. ART showed a correlation between this dental interference field and her areas of shoulderand low back pain. She was given her first treatment of neural therapy consisting of a direct injection of1% lidocaine 2cc on the buccal side of the tooth and about 4mm inferior to the gingival margin. Thepatient returned two weeks later and stated that she felt much better with regards to all her pain areas.She also stated that she had experienced an emotional release in the form of sadness, without anyspecific memories, subsequent to her treatment. The patient was seen eight more times with the sametreatment given each time until the tenth office visit at which time the patient was found with ART to becompletely cleared, and the patient stated that all her pain had resolved. The patient was dischargedand has had no further complaints to date.

Case 2. A 35-year-old female with a history of low back pain over ten years following a motor vehicleaccident. This patient also underwent radial hysterectomy for cervical cancer including lymph nodedissection five years previous. She was left with loss of feeling and numbness in her right pubic areaand thigh, and continued to have low back pain. A lumbar spine MRI was negative for radiculopathy.

The patient received several prolotherapy treatments that gave her 75% improvement in her low backpain, and a platelet rich plasma prolotherapy injection that further improved her low back pain to 90%.During this time patient went on a hiking trip and hit her head on the inside of a camper shell, afterwhich she was diagnosed with facial neuralgia and had recurrent episodes of burning facial pain, whichwas only partially helped with neurontin.

When seen at the time of her first neural therapy evaluation, patient was still improved in her low backfrom the prolotherapy treatments (75%) but was getting recurrent flares of low back with certainactivities and suffering almost constant episodes of intense neuralgia facial pain. ART revealedinterference fields in the inferior hypogastric ganglia and hysterectomy scar anteriorly, and in a largetattoo posteriorly at the lumbosacral region. Additional interference fields were located on a left kneescar and upper molars. Injection was done to all interference fields with 1% procaine. The patient hadpain relief and almost instant and complete resolution of her facial neuralgia pain after one treatment.She experienced an emotional release manifested in episodes of grief during the week following her firsttreatment. The second treatment three weeks later found the presence of these same interferencefields and the addition of the coeliac ganglia. These ganglia and scars were injected with 1% procaine.The patient had complete relief of her facial neuralgia pain but low back pain remained at the samelevel.

A third treatment revealed a hidden interference field where two tattoos overlapped in her lumbosacral

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region. This overlapping tattoo area was injected with 1% procaine and the patient experienced almostinstant relief of the remainder of her low back pain and has begun to experience feeling in thepreviously numb right thigh and pubic regions. Her facial neuralgia pain has not returned.References: References

1. Klinghardt D. Neural Therapy. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. July 1995. pp 96-98.Also in Hauser R and Hauser M. Prolo Your Pain Away, 2nd Edition. Beulah Land Press. AppendixA, p 284. 2. Dosch P. Manual of Neural Therapy According to Huneke. 1st English ed. (translation of 11thGerman ed. Revised). Lindsay A, translator. Karl F. Haug Publishers. Heidelberg, Germany. 1984.Part 1-A-1, Chronological survey. pp 25-29. 3. Huenke J. “Neural Therapy by Huneke” presentation at Autonomic Nervous SystemDysfunction Seminar. May 13-15, 1999. Sponsored by Caring Medical & Rehabilitation Services. 4. Klinghardt D. Neural Therapy. Presentation at Neural Therapy Training Seminar, 1993. 5. Huenke J. “Neural Therapy by Huneke” presentation at Autonomic Nervous SystemDysfunction Seminar, May 13-15, 1999. Sponsored by Caring Medical & Rehabilitation, SanibalIsland, Florida. 6. Ibid. ref. 4; Klinghardt. 7. Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. The MacMillan Company.New York. 1965. p 372. 8. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. P 374. 9. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. P 378. 10. Kidd R. Neural Therapy: Applied Neurophysiology and Other Topics. Custom Printers ofRenfrew, Ltd. Canada. 2005. p 24. 11. “Resting Potential,” www.Wikipedia.org 12. “Action Potential,” www.Wikipedia.org 13. Ibid. ref. 4; Klinghardt. 14. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. p 374. 15. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. p 378. 16. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. 17. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. 18. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. 19. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. pp 24-25. 20. Ibid ref. 2; Dosch. 21. Dosch P. Facts About Neural Therapy. First English Edition. Haug Publishers Heidelberg,Germany. 1985. 22. Hauser R and Hauser M. Prolo Your Pain Away, 2nd Edition. Beulah Land Press. Appendix A,p 284. 23. Ibid. ref. 21; Dosch P. pp 25-30. Cited in Hauser R and Hauser M. Prolo Your Pain Away, 2ndEdition. Beulah Land Press. Appendix A, p 284. 24. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. p 44. 25. Ibid. ref. 5; Huenke. 26. Hsieh CY and Phillips RB. Reliability of Manual Muscle Testing with a ComputerizedDynamometer. J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther. 1990. 13(2): 72-82. 27. Schmitt Jr WH and Leisman G. Correlation of Applied Kinesiology Muscle Testing FindingsWith Serum Immunoglobulin Levels for Food Allergies. Int. J. Neurosci. 1998. 96(3-4): 237-244. 28. Peterson KB. A Preliminary Inquiry into Manual Muscle Testing Response in Phobic andControl Subjects Exposed to Threatening Stimuli. J. Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1996. 19(5):310-316. 29. Alderman D. Prolotherapy for Musculoskeletal Pain. Pract Pain Manag. Jan/Feb 2007. 7(1):10-16. 30. Hackett GS and Hemwall GA, and Montgomery GA. Ligament and Tendon RelaxationTreated by Prolotherapy. (1956 First Edition, Charles C. Thomas, Publisher), Fifth Edition Gustav

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A. Hemwall, Publisher. Institute in Basic Life Principles. Oak Brook, IL. 1991. 31. Ibid. 32. Ibid. ref. 22; Hauser et al. p 42. 33. Ibid. ref. 29; Alderman.

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1. Klinghardt D. Neural Therapy. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. July 1995. pp 96-98.Also in Hauser R and Hauser M. Prolo Your Pain Away, 2nd Edition. Beulah Land Press. AppendixA, p 284. 2. Dosch P. Manual of Neural Therapy According to Huneke. 1st English ed. (translation of 11thGerman ed. Revised). Lindsay A, translator. Karl F. Haug Publishers. Heidelberg, Germany. 1984.Part 1-A-1, Chronological survey. pp 25-29. 3. Huenke J. “Neural Therapy by Huneke” presentation at Autonomic Nervous SystemDysfunction Seminar. May 13-15, 1999. Sponsored by Caring Medical & Rehabilitation Services. 4. Klinghardt D. Neural Therapy. Presentation at Neural Therapy Training Seminar, 1993. 5. Huenke J. “Neural Therapy by Huneke” presentation at Autonomic Nervous SystemDysfunction Seminar, May 13-15, 1999. Sponsored by Caring Medical & Rehabilitation, SanibalIsland, Florida. 6. Ibid. ref. 4; Klinghardt. 7. Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. The MacMillan Company.New York. 1965. p 372. 8. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. P 374. 9. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. P 378. 10. Kidd R. Neural Therapy: Applied Neurophysiology and Other Topics. Custom Printers ofRenfrew, Ltd. Canada. 2005. p 24. 11. “Resting Potential,” www.Wikipedia.org 12. “Action Potential,” www.Wikipedia.org 13. Ibid. ref. 4; Klinghardt. 14. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. p 374. 15. Ibid. ref. 7; Goodman & Gilman. p 378. 16. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. 17. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. 18. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. 19. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. pp 24-25. 20. Ibid ref. 2; Dosch. 21. Dosch P. Facts About Neural Therapy. First English Edition. Haug Publishers Heidelberg,Germany. 1985. 22. Hauser R and Hauser M. Prolo Your Pain Away, 2nd Edition. Beulah Land Press. Appendix A,p 284. 23. Ibid. ref. 21; Dosch P. pp 25-30. Cited in Hauser R and Hauser M. Prolo Your Pain Away, 2ndEdition. Beulah Land Press. Appendix A, p 284. 24. Ibid. ref. 10; Kidd. p 44. 25. Ibid. ref. 5; Huenke. 26. Hsieh CY and Phillips RB. Reliability of Manual Muscle Testing with a ComputerizedDynamometer. J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther. 1990. 13(2): 72-82. 27. Schmitt Jr WH and Leisman G. Correlation of Applied Kinesiology Muscle Testing FindingsWith Serum Immunoglobulin Levels for Food Allergies. Int. J. Neurosci. 1998. 96(3-4): 237-244. 28. Peterson KB. A Preliminary Inquiry into Manual Muscle Testing Response in Phobic andControl Subjects Exposed to Threatening Stimuli. J. Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1996. 19(5):310-316. 29. Alderman D. Prolotherapy for Musculoskeletal Pain. Pract Pain Manag. Jan/Feb 2007. 7(1):

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10-16. 30. Hackett GS and Hemwall GA, and Montgomery GA. Ligament and Tendon RelaxationTreated by Prolotherapy. (1956 First Edition, Charles C. Thomas, Publisher), Fifth Edition GustavA. Hemwall, Publisher. Institute in Basic Life Principles. Oak Brook, IL. 1991. 31. Ibid. 32. Ibid. ref. 22; Hauser et al. p 42. 33. Ibid. ref. 29; Alderman.

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